Category: Celebrations of Life

“Words Matter”

In our changing awareness of language, how can we be sensitive to people who
are powerless, stigmatized, or marginalized? Where do we draw the line between
basic respect and the overreach of political correctness? Come explore these
issues around word choice and why it matters.

Kim Palmer serves the Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center as
the Manager of Research Projects in Spiritual Health. She is a board-certified
chaplain with over five years of clinical experience and earned an MSPH in
Epidemiology from Emory University as a Transforming Chaplaincy Research
Fellow. She is ordained in the Unitarian Universalist tradition and serves as an
affiliated community minister for a congregation in Roswell, GA. She is currently engaged in a multi-year, multistudy research effort to investigate the effect of Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) on chaplains and the effect of CBCT-adapted interventions on patient and providers outcomes.

• Facilitator: Rev. Marsha Mitchiner
• Musician: William Chelton

” Open 24 hrs”

Rev. Mitchiner will be our speaker tor Sunday’s Celebration of Life at the First E Sanctuary.

Rev. Marsha Mitchiner grew up in middle Georgia and was an active member of her church. In her teen years, she became disillusioned with organized religion but felt a need to find a community of individuals seeking answers without dogma. She found her spiritual home when she came to First E in 1980 and joined Rev. Lanier Clance’s ministerial training program.

“My spiritual life began as a Christian in middle Georgia . During my teen years I began to question the concept of “one truth”. Through personal exploration and with three years of guided study by Rev. R. Lanier Clance, I have come to believe that there are many paths to truth, each valid to the believer. Our journey through life is a unique, subjective experience that is enhanced and supported as we share with others our authentic self. It is a joy to serve the First Existentialist Congregation and the greater community.”

• Facilitator: Robert Stewart
• Musician: Kathy McGuire

“Christmas is Everyday”

Rev. NaDine Rawls is a native of Louisiana. She is the daughter of the late John Q. Rawls and Bernice Rawls.

Rev. Rawls graduated from Plain Dealing High School and continued her education at then Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana and graduated with an Associates Degree in Law Enforcement. During her time at NLU, she became a member of NLU’s Interdenominational Gospel Ensemble and served as its choir director for 2 years.

Rev. Rawls begin ministry at Harvest MCC in Denton, Texas. In 1995, Rev. Rawls founded Unity Fellowship Church of North Texas. In 1996 Rev. Rawls located to Washington, DC where she served on staff at Inner Light Unity Fellowship Church. She later served as Assistant Pastor of Baltimore Unity Fellowship church and later Co-Pastor of North Capitol Unity Fellowship Church of Washington, DC. .

In 2006, Rev. Rawls became a member of Lincoln Congregational Church United Church of Christ. During her time there, Rev. Rawls served as Chair of the Diaconate. In 2009, Rev. Rawls relocated to Atlanta, GA and became of a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ.

For the past 25 years, Rev. Rawls has been a spiritual leader within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered community. God has allowed her to touch many lives and encourage individuals to follow the call God has placed on their lives and to live fully the person God created them to be. Her motto “One’s sexuality is not a prerequisite for the Love of Jesus.”

Rev. Rawls currently resides in Atlanta, GA. She is an active member of First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Atlanta, GA.

• Facilitator: M. Charlene Ball
• Musician: Aviva and the Flying Penguins

“Existentialism and Holidays: Creating Personal Meaning”

Dr. Jean Heinrich, passionate human being, licensed clinical psychologist, musician, is nourished by existential philosophy in these times. Believing her knowledge of existentialism and the human psyche/mind/body/spirit make her a better musician and her music makes her a better clinician, and, both her knowledge and music make her a healthier/more vital human being, she invites you to join us as she speaks on: “Existentialism and Holidays: Creating Personal Meaning”.

• Facilitator: Rev. Marsha Mitchiner
• Musician: Mick Kinney

“We Hold these Truths: Human Rights, Blacks, and the Continued Struggle for Equality”

Anthony Knight is the Founder, President & CEO of The Baton Foundation—a Georgia
nonprofit organization that serves the emotional, intellectual and cultural needs of Black boys ages 10-17. Before founding the Foundation, Mr. Knight worked for twenty-two years as a museum educator and consultant. Mr. Knight has extensive experience with and interest in African American history and culture, public and living history, informal education and Black youth. Mr. Knight’s work with The Baton Foundation reflects his ongoing interest in the issues and practices related to the collecting, preservation and interpretation of information about and material culture from the African Diaspora. Mr. Knight’s undergraduate work was in Spanish and English (Ohio Wesleyan University), and his graduate work was in museum education (The George Washington University). Mr. Knight also holds a degree in Spanish-to-English translation from the Núcleo de Estudios Lingüísticos y Sociales, Caracas, Venezuela. Mr. Knight is a New York City native.

• Facilitator: Robert Stewart
• Musician: William Chelton

“The Things that Open You”

Angela Denise Davis, M.Div., M.S., is a ukulele instructor, workshop facilitator, ordained minister, and public speaker. Her work as a minister focuses on how the fusion of art and spirituality can enlarge the ground beneath our feet and enrich the ways we move in personal and social spaces. In addition, she is also the creator, host, and producer of the ZAMI NOBLA Podcast. She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she earned a B.A. in Art. She also holds a master of divinity from Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and a master of science in rehabilitation counseling from Georgia State University.

• Facilitator: Libby Ware
• Musician: Susan Ottzen

“Considering Gratitude for Things that don’t Make us ‘Feel’ Grateful”

Rev. Chris Glaser, a graduate of Yale Divinity School, is a weekly blogger of “Progressive Christian Reflections” at http://chrisglaser.blogspot.com. He is the author of a dozen books, many of which deal with challenging spiritual communities to welcome LGBTQ people and offering spiritual guidance to LGBTQ people. For more information, please visit http://chrisglaser.com.

• Facilitator: D. Patton White
• Musician: Charli Vogt

“Existentialism and Mistakes, Enemies,
Suffering, and Gratitude”

Dr. Jean Heinrich, passionate human being, licensed clinical psychologist, musician, is nourished by existential philosophy in these times. Believing her knowledge of existentialism and the human psyche/mind/body/spirit make her a better musician and her music makes her a better clinician, and, both her knowledge and music make her a healthier/more vital human being, she invites you to join us as she speaks on: “Existentialism and Mistakes, Enemies, Suffering and Gratitude”.

• Facilitator: Jan Lister
• Musician: Mick Kinney